And so goes the roller coaster

Yes, God has a sense of humor.

Remember my very recent post about my temptation toward discouragement regarding a certain child's public behavior?

Well, guess what happened THAT VERY SAME DAY. (I've been holding back on you because I've been hoping for pictures from the other parent present.)

IAN PASSED HIS ORANGE BELT TEST IN TAE KWON DO!

The test was a surprise, sort of -- i.e. it was done in class, and not previously announced. It was Ian and one other child whom his teacher, Ms. Chapaty, thought were ready. And it lasted two and a half hours!

I was a wreck. At one point I couldn't look, because during the sparring he came really close to blowing the whole thing by forgetting the rules in the heat of the moment. But she gave him another chance, and he bounced back and did so well. Then there was the final event, the board-breaking. When he saw what he needed to do, after two hours of constant work, we could all see him fighting back tears. His instructor and the junior leaders poured on the encouragement, and we could see him steady himself and fight for his focus. Well, he smashed that board [with his foot] on his very first try!!!!! We all went bananas.

Ian was glowing afterward. He even remembered to congratulate the other child who passed the test. Ms. Chapaty pulled me aside to tell him very seriously how proud she was of him, and how well he did on the test. We marveled together at how far he's come in the past nine months, not only passing two tough belt tests but also developing his focus and perseverance. She almost used those fateful and oh-so-elusive words: "A pleasure to have in class." Heh.

You know, I think as parents we all hope that someone, or some ones, will come into our child's life who will believe in him, expect and demand the best of him, and give him the encouragement he needs to make it happen. Someone who trains for skill but values character even more. Tough but tender, you might describe it. Someone who is able, for an hour or two a week, to be that leader and mentor that we wish we could be for the other however 150 or so hours we're with them that week.

Ian's instructor has been that for him. We feel so blessed! She knows some of the issues we're dealing with, like the ADHD diagnosis, and so she takes a particular interest in his progress. And here's an example of how seriously she takes her job: A few weeks ago, she respectfully asked a mother not to return to the dojang because that mother was repeatedly being verbally abusive to her young sons [as other parents confirmed]. The way Cathy put it to us, she would never accept that behavior from herself or from the kids, so she can't allow it in her facility AT ALL. The family left in a huff, which no doubt involved financial loss to the business (which she owns), but upheld a high standard of integrity, which she feels is more valuable in the long run. That impressed me, because it couldn't have been easy to stand up to someone that volatile.

Another good thing that's come of Ian's experience there has been his interest in pursuing Junior Leadership. That opportunity comes with his next belt (green) but also involves logging a certain number of hours of leadership development -- by leading the warm-ups in class and by assisting with the younger class of 3-5 year olds. So, once a week he goes and helps out with the Tiny Texans, which honestly is the best thing in the world for him, as far as I can see.